Energy News Digest for June 28, 2011

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Pacific Northwest Hydro Supplies Near Record Highs (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/27/utilities-usnorthwest-hydropower-idUSN1E75Q1AL20110627

Populations Around US Nuclear Plants Soar (Associated Press)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-27-Nuclear-plants-population-evacuation_n.htm?csp=34news

Data Center Central - High-Tech ‘Crops’ Growing Fast in Quincy (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=9033

100 Jobs Leaving Kennewick as Clean-Tech Company Infinia Moves Headquarters (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/124626334.html

Inslee Announces Run for Washington State Governor, With a Jobs-&-Business Theme (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015439209_inslee28m.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Pacific Northwest Hydro Supplies Near Record Highs
• Pumping Up the ‘Arms’ - Workers Strengthen Spillgates at Rocky Reach Dam
• Montana - Southern Montana Electric Co-Op’s Gregori Fires Back at Critic of Electricity Deals
• Smart Meters Tap British Columbia’s Growing Need for Power
• Populations Around US Nuclear Plants Soar
• Eight of Ten Residents near US Nuclear Power Plants Favor Use of Nuclear Energy
• Natural Gas: Shale Firms’ Balance Sheets Raise ‘Red Flags’
• Tech Mavens Hail Transformer for Electrical Smart Grids
• Editorial - State Of Illinois Cautious on Smart Grid
• Michigan - Sturgis Hydroelectric Dam Marks 100 Years of Operation with Dam Days
• Con Ed May Continue With Sept. 11 Claims over Destroyed New York Substation
• Utilities Facing up to Social Media
• Pacific Northwest Spotted Owl Recovery Plan Due By End of Week
• Odd visitors in local waters a deep mystery
• New Mason County Nature Preserve
• Timber Industry Advocates Speak Against “Wild Olympics” Campaign
• 100 Jobs Leaving Kennewick as Clean-Tech Company Infinia Moves Headquarters
• Golden Valley Electric Association Approves Alaska’s Largest Wind Project for Healy Area
• Idaho Utility to Buy Energy from Small Montana Hydro Project
• Pythagoras Solar Windows & Energy Breakthrough
• Solar-Panel Raw Material Plunges to Six-Year Low, Helping Trina
• How Expensive Is Solar Energy?
• Sales of Wind Turbines for Home Use are Going Strong
• Study: Wind Turbines May Cool; But They Could Inhibit Crops’ Growth
• Ohio - Wind Turbine Starts Up in Euclid above Lincoln Electric Company
• United Kingdom - Government Grants Funds for Two Wave Power Projects
• Oregon - Seeing the Light; Modern Fluorescents Expected to Save Business $57,000 a Year
• Canadian Scientists Discover New Clues to Rapid Arctic Ice Melt
• Will We Adapt to Climate Change?
• Sustainability Center at Portland State University Raises Financial Concerns
• Editorial - Aviation Biofuel Plans Could Be a Boon for the Pacific Northwest
• Solar Generator Splits Water to Make Hydrogen
• Want to Be a Clean Energy Entrepreneur? Here’s a Crash Course
• Data Center Central - High-Tech ‘Crops’ Growing Fast in Quincy
• BendBroad Beats Facebook to Coal-Free Green Data Center
• Microsoft’s Office 365 Software Hits the Cloud
• FCC Competition Report Says Nothing with a Lot of Data
• Tech Security Spending to Rise in Wake of Attacks
• Google Sees 500,000 Android Devices Activated Every Day
• In Brave New Technoworld, Companies are Judging the Online You
• Inslee Announces Run for Washington State Governor, With a Jobs-&-Business Theme
• Poll Gives Inslee Slight Lead over McKenna in Washington State Gubernatorial Race
• Inslee: Mr. Jobs. McKenna: Mr. Schools. Huh?
• Ethics Inquiries Trail Washington State Corrections Leader
• Mason County to Change Pursuit Policy after Deputy Shoots Deputy
• Family: Man Shot for Mocking Co-Worker’s Rapture Beliefs
• Fireworks Stands Open for Business around Puget Sound
• Washington State Supreme Court Hearing School Case
• Washington Tourism Department Closes Thursday – Indefinitely
• Tahuya Peninsula - Officials Seek Recreation Connections
• Experts Predict Economic Upswing -- But It Won’t Make Much Difference
• That Latest Sign of an Economic Recovery: Shoplifting is Back

WORD OF THE DAY

Hyperborean • \high-per-BORE-ee-un\ • Adjective - 1: of or relating to an extreme northern region: frozen 2: of or relating to any of the arctic peoples

The mythical, annual visit of an oddly garbed hyperborean dweller never ceased to capture the imagination of Fred’s children. Even as they aged, their belief in Santa Claus never waned.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Pacific Northwest Hydro Supplies Near Record Highs (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/27/utilities-usnorthwest-hydropower-idUSN1E75Q1AL20110627

Pumping Up the ‘Arms’ - Workers Strengthen Spillgates at Rocky Reach Dam (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/jun/25/pumping-up-the-arms-workers-strengthen-spillgates/

Montana - Southern Montana Electric Co-Op’s Gregori Fires Back at Critic of Electricity Deals (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110628/NEWS01/106280304/SME-co-op-s-Gregori-fires-back-critic-electricity-deals

Smart Meters Tap British Columbia’s Growing Need for Power (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Smart+meters+growing+need+power/5008055/story.html

Populations Around US Nuclear Plants Soar (Associated Press)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-27-Nuclear-plants-population-evacuation_n.htm?csp=34news

Eight of Ten Residents near US Nuclear Power Plants Favor Use of Nuclear Energy (PR Newswire)

http://finance.sfgate.com/hearst.sfgate/news/read?GUID=18829557

Natural Gas: Shale Firms’ Balance Sheets Raise ‘Red Flags’ (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0628/Natural-gas-Shale-firms-balance-sheets-raise-red-flags

Tech Mavens Hail Transformer for Electrical Smart Grids (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/26/3726261/tech-mavens-hail-transformer-for.html

Editorial - State Of Illinois Cautious on Smart Grid (St Louis Post- Dispatch, MO)

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_986c9b64-2fa8-5cd9-b6e7-f6c998fcb6f9.html

Michigan - Sturgis Hydroelectric Dam Marks 100 Years of Operation with Dam Days Celebration (Kalamazoo Gazette, MI – Yikes! Pay no attention to the color of the water coming through the spillway gates…)

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/06/sturgis_hydroelectric_dam_mark.html

Con Ed May Continue With Sept. 11 Claims over Destroyed New York Substation (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/06/27/37723.htm

Utilities Facing up to Social Media (EnergyBiz Insider)

http://www.scoop.com/remote/article/include/257989260/53616c7465645f5f740d4d4a29e997d53e5c742b9dd19f56e270bb747d5db5a7a6388e38a6503270

FISH & WILDLIFE

Pacific Northwest Spotted Owl Recovery Plan Due By End of Week (Associated Press)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/jun/27/nw-spotted-owl-recovery-plan-due-by-end-of-week/

Odd visitors in local waters a deep mystery (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015444562_creatures28m.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

New Mason County Nature Preserve (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/9522-new-nature-preserve

Timber Industry Advocates Speak Against “Wild Olympics” Campaign (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.konp.com/local/7006

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

100 Jobs Leaving Kennewick as Clean-Tech Company Infinia Moves Headquarters (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/124626334.html

Golden Valley Electric Association Approves Alaska’s Largest Wind Project for Healy Area (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK)

http://mobile.newsminer.com/bookmark/14496191-GVEA-approves-Alaska-s-largest-wind-project-for-Healy-area

Idaho Utility to Buy Energy from Small Montana Hydro Project (Brighter Energy)

http://www.brighterenergy.org/24234/news/marine-hydro/idaho-utility-to-buy-energy-from-montana-hydro-project/

Clark Canyon Dam, Dillion Montana

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Clark_Canyon_Dam

Pythagoras Solar Windows & Energy Breakthrough (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/25/BUHP1K2FGD.DTL&type=tech

Solar-Panel Raw Material Plunges to Six-Year Low, Helping Trina (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/06/16/bloomberg1376-LMTYNA0D9L3801-6SQ0CU5TT27NNH40DIG0RUBGVE.DTL

How Expensive Is Solar Energy? (Motley Fool)

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/06/27/how-expensive-is-solar-energy.aspx

Sales of Wind Turbines for Home Use are Going Strong (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2011-06-27-wind-power-turbines-energy-electricity_n.htm?csp=34news

Study: Wind Turbines May Cool; But They Could Inhibit Crops’ Growth (Abilene Reporter-News, TX)

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/jun/26/study-wind-turbines-may-cool/

Ohio - Wind Turbine Starts Up in Euclid above Lincoln Electric Company (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH)

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/wind_turnbine_starts_up_in_euc.html

United Kingdom - Government Grants Funds for Two Wave Power Projects (Reuters)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/27/uk-britain-wave-funding-idUKTRE75Q6VJ20110627

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon - Seeing the Light; Modern Fluorescents Expected to Save Business $57,000 a Year (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/web/updates/26402997-55/lights-true-value-hansen-utility.html.csp

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Canadian Scientists Discover New Clues to Rapid Arctic Ice Melt (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/canadian-scientists-discover-new-clues-to-rapid-arctic-ice-melt/article2078461/

Will We Adapt to Climate Change? As natural resources become scarcer & their prices rise higher, some companies will profit from catering to the desperate (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Green-Economics/2011/0627/Will-we-adapt-to-climate-change

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Sustainability Center at Portland State University Raises Financial Concerns, Oregon Lawmakers Say (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/06/sustainability_center_at_psu_r.html

Editorial - Aviation Biofuel Plans Could Be a Boon for the Pacific Northwest (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/06/27/1722152/aviation-biofuel-plans-could-be.html

Solar Generator Splits Water to Make Hydrogen (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20071530-54/solar-generator-splits-water-to-make-hydrogen/

Want to Be a Clean Energy Entrepreneur? Here’s a Crash Course (Austin Business Journal, TX)

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/chatter/2011/06/want-be-a-clean-energy-entrepreneur.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Data Center Central - High-Tech ‘Crops’ Growing Fast in Quincy (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=9033

BendBroad Beats Facebook to Coal-Free Green Data Center (Sustainable Business Oregon -  the Solution is “Indulgences”)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/06/bendbroad-beats-facebook-to-coal-free.html

Microsoft’s Office 365 Software Hits the Cloud (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2011-06-27-microsoft-office_n.htm?csp=34money

FCC Competition Report Says Nothing with a Lot of Data (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/broadband/fcc-competition-report-says-nothing-with-a-lot-of-data/

Tech Security Spending to Rise in Wake of Attacks (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-06-27-corporate-security_n.htm?csp=34tech

Google Sees 500,000 Android Devices Activated Every Day (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/mobile/andy-rubin-android-activating-500000-devices-a-day/

In Brave New Technoworld, Companies are Judging the Online You (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2015427747_ratinginfluence26.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Inslee Announces Run for Washington State Governor, With a Jobs-&-Business Theme (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015439209_inslee28m.html

Poll Gives Inslee Slight Lead over McKenna in Washington State Gubernatorial Race (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/poll-Inslee-slight-lead-over-McKenna--124604369.html

Inslee: Mr. Jobs. McKenna: Mr. Schools. Huh? (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/20387/Inslee:-Mr.-Jobs.-McKenna:-Mr.-Schools.-Huh-/

Ethics Inquiries Trail Washington State Corrections Leader - Reprimanded once before for mixing work, private life (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/06/28/1703719/ethics-inquiries-trail-doc-leader.html

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County to Change Pursuit Policy after Deputy Shoots Deputy (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/124625934.html

Family: Man Shot for Mocking Co-Worker’s Rapture Beliefs (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/124645219.html

Fireworks Stands Open for Business around Puget Sound (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Fireworks-stands-open-for-business-124644389.html

Washington State Supreme Court Hearing School Case (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/06/28/1704080/washington-supreme-court-hearing.html

Washington Tourism Department Closes Thursday - Indefinitely (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/28376262/detail.html

Tahuya Peninsula - Officials Seek Recreation Connections (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jun/27/officials-seek-recreation-connections/

Experts Predict Economic Upswing -- But It Won’t Make Much Difference (Associated Press)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110628/biz/706289967/-1/rss03

That Latest Sign of an Economic Recovery: Shoplifting is Back (Chicago Tribune)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-that-latest-sign-of-an-economic-recovery-shoplifting-is-back-20110627,0,6898196.story

DIVERSIONS

If Pi Day Wasn’t Enough, It’s Now ‘Tau Day’

http://www.kirotv.com/technology/28379231/detail.html

Apartment Combats Dog Poo with DNA Testing - Residents Must Provide DNA Sample for Apartment Database

http://www.kirotv.com/family/28370006/detail.html

Why pay $217,800 for an old Volkswagen bus?

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/06/why-pay-217800-for-an-old-volkwagen-bus/1?csp=34money

162 Coffee-Shop Stops in 162 Hours? No Problem

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/jun/28/162-coffee-stops-in-162-hours-no-problem/

SONG OF THE DAY

OMG! You must see this:

Fredde Gredde - Killer Queen (Cover)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o57xEVHrYvE

Energy News Digest for June 27, 2011

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Power Line Protesters Rally outside Bonneville Power Administration Offices in Vancouver (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/index.ssf/2011/06/protesters_rally_outside_bonneville_power_administration_offices_in_vancouver.html

PacifiCorp’s Reliance on Coal Plants Brings Utility to Expensive Juncture (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/pacificorps_reliance_on_coal_p.html

Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections (MSNBC)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43532031/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

Duff Badgley to the Rescue - Longview Fibre & Activists Battle over Biomass (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_5f8cde60-9f99-11e0-a960-001cc4c03286.html

Oregon Fish Hatchery Kills 42,000 Rainbow Trout (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/124529554.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Power Line Protesters Rally outside Bonneville Power Administration Offices in Vancouver
• PacifiCorp’s Reliance on Coal Plants Brings Utility to Expensive Juncture
• Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections
• Lower Elwha Tribe, Clallam PUD & BPA Partner to Reduce Energy Costs & Help the Environment
• Eugene Water & Electric Board Panel Studies Conservation
• Editorial - Build a Dam? What Dreamers
• ‘Smart’ Meter Installation Credited With Finding Fire Risk at Port Angeles Home
• Study: Wyoming Power Lines Would Generate Jobs
• Some Milton-Freewater Power Customers Likely to See Rate Hike
• Montana - Beartooth Electric Co-Op Members Call for Financing Scrutiny
• Calpine, GE Get $844.5 Million Credit Facility to Finance California Power Plant
• Top Regulator Says Nebraska Utilities Taking Appropriate Measures to Protect Nuclear Power Plants
• California - Diablo Canyon Nuclear Waste Becoming ‘Terrible Burden’
• Staff Criticize Nuclear Regulator for Halting Evaluation of Yucca Mountain
• Tennessee Valley Authority Defends Storm-Racked Grid
• Insiders Sound Alarm amid Natural Gas Rush
• Fitch Releases Annual Public Power Peer Study
• Why Electric Companies Have All the Power
• For Hydro Poles, What’s Greener: Cement [sic], or Wood?
• Vermont – Electric System Embezzlement: How $1.6 million slid under the radar in Hardwick
• Oregon Fish Hatchery Kills 42,000 Rainbow Trout
• Lake Washington Sockeye Runs Is Starting to Arrive, And the Return Is Expected to be Poor
• Icicle River Spring Chinook Fishery Still Going Strong
• Yakama Biologists Releasing Salmon from Roza Dam into Cle Elum Lake
• Portland General Electric’s Mammoth Fish Passage Facility at Round Butte Dam Passed Nearly Half a Million Fish This Year
• Endangered Species Act Attacked Through the Back Door
• Imported Beavers Gnaw Away at Argentina’s Forests
• A Victory in Western Water Wars? Study Shows Progress in Water Use
• Columbia River Ties Alcoa to the Rest of the World
• Idaho - Magic Valley Growth & Infrastructure; Pushed to the Limit
• Washington State Study Targets Polluted Kitsap Streams
• Duff Badgley to the Rescue - Longview Fibre & Activists Battle over Biomass
• Eastern Oregon Wind Farm Clears Hurdle
• Montana - Wind-Farm Developers Ask To Conceal Pricing, Other Information
• VIDEO: Time Lapse of PSE Wind Turbine Construction
• United Kingdom - Energy Giants Want Billions for Back-Up to Wind Farms
• France - UN Calls for Wind Turbine Pause at France’s Mont Saint Michel
• Solar Firms Attract Market Interest, but Few Are for Sale
• General Electric - Betting on Big Solar
• Cowlitz PUD - Invest in Ductless Heating & Cooling to Save Energy & Money
• Google Pulls the Plug on PowerMeter Energy Tool
• Five Reasons Google PowerMeter Didn’t Take Off
• Atop TV Sets, a Power Drain That Runs Nonstop
• Electricity-Strapped Japan Alters Work Hours, Wardrobes
• Because of Climate Change, Fears of a Great Lakes ‘Dead Zone’
• Whales, Plankton Migrate Across Northwest Passage
• Gillard Says Australia Will Compensate 90% of Households Under Carbon Tax
• Wyoming Expects To Land Data Centers despite Verizon Rejection
• Twitter’s Data Center Mystery Deepens
• Why 4G Means Nothing, & What That Means For You
• One Man’s Dream Flourishes to Become Two Fiber Optic Firms
• Average FTTH Connection Speed: 19.7 Mbps - FTTH Customers Significantly More Satisfied Than DSL, Cable
• Washington State Government Will Lose About 1,316 Full-Time Jobs as Part of Budget
• ‘Part of Our Job’: At Capitol, Team Rejects Award Money for Cost-Savings Ideas
• Asteroid the Size of Tour Bus Swings Harmlessly Past Earth
• Invasive Mosquito Thriving in Pacific Northwest
• Special Mason County Candidate Filing Period Begins Tuesday
• Big Bills for Meals, Travel Fuel Outrage: Freeland Residents Call for State Audit of Sewer District
• Washington State Tourism Office to Close Even as State Ranks Last in Marketing

WORD OF THE DAY

Vituperate • \vie-TOOP-puh-rayt\ • Verb - 1: to abuse or censure severely or abusively 2: to use harsh condemnatory language

Albert was mystified by his regular visits to his supervisor’s office. He would enter, be seated, and then watched as the boss would vituperate one of the “bobble head” dolls ranged across the front of his desk. When done, Al would be quietly asked to leave. One placid Sunday, while working overtime, the diminutive employee snuck into the boss’ inner sanctum…where he saw that each doll had a striking resemblance to those who worked at the office. “The Horror!”

Gad, what a dumb example sentence.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Power Line Protesters Rally outside Bonneville Power Administration Offices in Vancouver (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/index.ssf/2011/06/protesters_rally_outside_bonneville_power_administration_offices_in_vancouver.html

PacifiCorp’s Reliance on Coal Plants Brings Utility to Expensive Juncture (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/pacificorps_reliance_on_coal_p.html

Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections (MSNBC)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43532031/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

Lower Elwha Tribe, Clallam PUD & BPA Partner to Reduce Energy Costs & Help the Environment (Native American Times)

http://nativetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5591:lower-elwha-tribe-clallam-pud-and-bpa-partner-to-reduce-energy-costs-and-help-the-environment&catid=56&Itemid=32

Eugene Water & Electric Board Panel Studies Conservation - In developing a 20-year power plan, analysts review the trade-offs in the generation of electricity (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26437278-41/power-eweb-conservation-utility-customers.html.csp

Editorial - Build a Dam? What Dreamers (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/jun/25/build-a-dam-what-dreamers/

‘Smart’ Meter Installation Credited With Finding Fire Risk at Port Angeles Home (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110626/NEWS/306269996/-8216-smart-meter-installation-credited-with-finding-fire-risk-at

Study: Wyoming Power Lines Would Generate Jobs (Billings Gazette, WY)

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_e5865c2b-b470-57c1-be4f-83a64bedecf9.html

Some Milton-Freewater Power Customers Likely to See Rate Hike (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)

http://union-bulletin.com/stories/2011/06/26/some-milton-freewater-power-customers-likely-to-see-rate-hikehttp://union-bulletin.com/stories/2011/06/26/some-milton-freewater-power-customers-likely-to-see-rate-hike

Montana - Beartooth Electric Co-Op Members Call for Financing Scrutiny (Billings Gazette, MT)

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_306115ec-0a4f-5be9-997a-5a996badc000.html

Calpine, GE Get $844.5 Million Credit Facility to Finance California Power Plant (RTT News)

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/BreakingNews.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1654197

Top Regulator Says Nebraska Utilities Taking Appropriate Measures to Protect Nuclear Power Plants (Associated Press)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/top-regulator-says-neb-utilities-taking-appropriate-measures-to-protect-nuclear-power-plants/2011/06/26/AGbHEcmH_story.html

California - Diablo Canyon Nuclear Waste Becoming ‘Terrible Burden’ (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18357313

Staff Criticize Nuclear Regulator for Halting Evaluation of Yucca Mountain (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/science/earth/25nrc.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Tennessee Valley Authority Defends Storm-Racked Grid (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jun/27/tva-defends-storm-racked-grid/

Insiders Sound Alarm amid Natural Gas Rush (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_18358496

Fitch Releases Annual Public Power Peer Study (Business Wire)

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110620005742/en/Fitch-Releases-Annual-Public-Power-Peer-Study

Why Electric Companies Have All the Power (Rolling Stone Magazine)

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/why-electric-companies-have-all-the-power-20110620

For Hydro Poles, What’s Greener: Cement [sic], or Wood? (Toronto Open File)

http://toronto.openfile.ca/toronto/file/2011/06/hydro-poles-whats-greener-cement-or-wood

Vermont – Electric System Embezzlement: How $1.6 million slid under the radar in Hardwick (Burlington Free Press, VT)

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110626/NEWS02/106260310/How-1-6-million-slid-under-radar-Hardwick-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon Fish Hatchery Kills 42,000 Rainbow Trout (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/124529554.html

Lake Washington Sockeye Runs Is Starting to Arrive, And the Return Is Expected to be Poor (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2015431578_lake_washington_sockeye_runs_i.html

Icicle River Spring Chinook Fishery Still Going Strong (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2015427946_icicle_river_spring_chinook_fi_1.html

Yakama Biologists Releasing Salmon from Roza Dam into Cle Elum Lake (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/06/24/yakama-biologists-releasing-salmon-from-roza-dam-into-cle-elum-lake

Portland General Electric’s Mammoth Fish Passage Facility at Round Butte Dam Passed Nearly Half a Million Fish This Year (Oregonian, Portland – pardon my smirk at this slightly scatological headline)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/06/portland_general_electrics_mam.html

Endangered Species Act Attacked Through the Back Door (McClatchy Newspapers)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2015435311_webesa27.html

Imported Beavers Gnaw Away at Argentina’s Forests (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/24/137067240/imported-beavers-gnaw-away-at-argentinas-forests?ft=1&f=2

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

A Victory in Western Water Wars? Study Shows Progress in Water Use (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/0624/A-victory-in-Western-water-wars-Study-shows-progress-in-water-use

Columbia River Ties Alcoa to the Rest of the World (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/jun/25/river-ties-alcoa-to-the-rest-of-the-world/

Idaho - Magic Valley Growth & Infrastructure; Pushed to the Limit (Twin Falls Times- News, ID)

http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/twin-falls/article_866f2bb4-9fad-11e0-bdf2-001cc4c002e0.html

Washington State Study Targets Polluted Kitsap Streams (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jun/24/state-study-targets-polluted-kitsap-streams/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Duff Badgley to the Rescue - Longview Fibre & Activists Battle over Biomass (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_5f8cde60-9f99-11e0-a960-001cc4c03286.html

Eastern Oregon Wind Farm Clears Hurdle (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/eastern-ore-wind-farm-clears-hurdle/

Montana - Wind-Farm Developers Ask To Conceal Pricing, Other Information (Billings Gazette, MT)

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_0c91c4b3-7ae0-5249-b76d-0373d6f1c909.html

VIDEO: Time Lapse of PSE Wind Turbine Construction (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/28351129/detail.html

United Kingdom - Energy Giants Want Billions for Back-Up to Wind Farms (This is Money, UK)

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-2008055/Energy-giants-want-billions-windfarms.html

France - UN Calls for Wind Turbine Pause at France’s Mont Saint Michel (RFI)

http://www.english.rfi.fr/visiting-france/20110625-mont-saint-michel-wind-turbines

Solar Firms Attract Market Interest, but Few Are for Sale (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/business/global/27iht-green27.html

General Electric - Betting on Big Solar (TIME Magazine)

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2079474,00.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Cowlitz PUD - Invest in Ductless Heating & Cooling to Save Energy & Money (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_bf3e02a0-9f8d-11e0-ad24-001cc4c03286.html

Google Pulls the Plug on PowerMeter Energy Tool (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/google-pulls-the-plug-on-powermeter-energy-tool/

Five Reasons Google PowerMeter Didn’t Take Off (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/5-reasons-google-powermeter-didnt-take-off/

Atop TV Sets, a Power Drain That Runs Nonstop (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26cable.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Electricity-Strapped Japan Alters Work Hours, Wardrobes (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/21/world/la-fg-japan-summer-electricity-20110622

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Because of Climate Change, Fears of a Great Lakes ‘Dead Zone’ (WBEZ Radio, Chicago, IL)

http://www.wbez.org/story/because-climate-change-fears-great-lakes-%E2%80%98dead-zone%E2%80%99-88321#

Whales, Plankton Migrate Across Northwest Passage (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015429051_apeuclimateoceans.html

Gillard Says Australia Will Compensate 90% of Households Under Carbon Tax (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-26/australia-will-compensate-90-of-homes-for-carbon.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Wyoming Expects To Land Data Centers despite Verizon Rejection (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Wyo-expects-to-land-data-centers-despite-Verizon-1439002.php

Twitter’s Data Center Mystery Deepens (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cloud/twitters-data-center-mystery-deepens/

Why 4G Means Nothing, And What That Means For You (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/24/BUAC1K1PCJ.DTL

One Man’s Dream Flourishes to Become Two Fiber Optic Firms (East Oregonian, Pendleton)

http://www.eastoregonian.com/news/one-man-s-dream-flourishes-to-become-two-fiber-optic/article_a5de408e-9ffd-11e0-b9f7-001cc4c002e0.html

Average FTTH Connection Speed: 19.7 Mbps - FTTH Customers Significantly More Satisfied Than DSL, Cable (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Average-FTTH-Connection-Speed-197-Mbps-114779

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Government Will Lose About 1,316 Full-Time Jobs as Part of Budget (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/06/25/1721032/state-government-will-lose-about.html

‘Part of Our Job’: At Capitol, Team Rejects Award Money for Cost-Savings Ideas (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/06/24/1700231/part-of-our-job-at-capitol-team.html

GENERAL NEWS

Asteroid the Size of Tour Bus Swings Harmlessly Past Earth (Associated Press)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Earths-date-with-asteroid-delayed-a-few-hours-124596404.html

Invasive Mosquito Thriving in Pacific Northwest (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Invasive-Mosquito-Thriving-In-Northwest-124387814.html

Special Mason County Candidate Filing Period Begins Tuesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/9353-special-candidate-filing-period-begins-tuesday

Big Bills for Meals, Travel Fuel Outrage: Freeland Residents Call for State Audit of Sewer District (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/sound/article/Big-bills-for-meals-travel-fuel-outrage-1441256.php

Washington State Tourism Office to Close Even as State Ranks Last in Marketing (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/124523629.html

DIVERSIONS

Moon Dust from Apollo 11 Mission Discovered at St. Louis Auction House

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0624/Moon-dust-from-Apollo-11-mission-discovered-at-St.-Louis-auction-house

Gross-Out Alert - Japan Scientist Synthesizes Meat from Human Feces

http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/japanese-scientists-creates-meat-out-of-feces/

Billy the Kid Portrait Sells for $2.3 Million

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0626/Billy-the-Kid-portrait-sells-for-2.3-million

San Francisco Considers Banning Sale Of All Pets

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2015435092_webanimals27.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Planet of the Apes Opening Theme (Remake)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0X9YQB5am8&NR=1